| > | | | | might also account for the marked behavioral changes |
| What do ADHD, Global Warming, and Tai Chi have in | | | | observed in the adolescents in this study, their |
| common? You may be surprised, and excited by the | | | | research report concluded. |
| possibility, and the hope it offers humanity, and your life. | | | | If these profound benefits are realized, why only have |
| A few years ago I caught part of a major network | | | | students with ADHD practicing Tai Chi daily at school? |
| news program on genius children and their's and their | | | | Why not, include all students, teachers and |
| parent's experiences with public schools pressuring | | | | administrators of all public schools? To have calmer, |
| them to place these children on Ritalin. Some of the | | | | clearer thinking teachers and administrators, as well as |
| parents being interviewed had found alternative ways | | | | students would have a spider webbing benefit that |
| to deal with their children’s issues, that | | | | could improve the educational experience on many |
| didn’t involve years of drug use, such as Ritalin. | | | | levels, for all students, and not just those with ADHD. |
| In this same program, a person from a national | | | | Creative solutions to complex problems are inhibited by |
| organization of American geniuses expressed concern | | | | stress in any workplace, including in our increasingly |
| that if Edison or Einstein were in public school today, | | | | complex schools. Our students, their families, and in |
| that they may likely be diagnosed with ADHD, and | | | | time, our nation is benefited by calm clear thinking |
| drugged into normalcy so that they could fit | | | | educators, or conversely diminished by stressed out |
| in. | | | | less creative educators. |
| In 1999, the Center for Pediatric Research, at a | | | | A recent study by David Beversdorf, an assistant |
| children’s hospital in Virginia found that 8 to 10% | | | | professor in Ohio State's department of neurology, and |
| of students were receiving drug therapy for Attention | | | | Jessa Alexander, a research assistant in the |
| Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly known | | | | department, revealed a correlation between medical |
| as ADHD. Trends show that these numbers are likely | | | | students' stress levels and their performance on |
| to be increasing dramatically. | | | | various types of tests. According to Jennifer Graham, |
| In a 2005 interview with the New York Times, James | | | | a postdoctoral fellow at OSU's Institute of Behavioral |
| T. Webb, a clinical psychologist and author of | | | | Medicine Research,"When individuals are faced with a |
| "Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and | | | | challenging task, they are less likely to perform well in |
| Adults," explained, Behaviors of many gifted children | | | | complex situations." The complexity of educating |
| can resemble those of, say, attention deficit | | | | children effectively to deal with an increasingly |
| hyperactivity disorder. Most teachers, pediatricians and | | | | complex world is the epitome of complex challenge. |
| psychologists aren't trained to distinguish between the | | | | Tai Chi is an elegant exercise or therapy that offers |
| two. Most gifted kids are very intense, pursuing | | | | multi-dimensional benefits including, according to |
| interests excessively. This often leads to power | | | | emerging medical research, lowering of high blood |
| struggles, perfectionism, impatience, fierce emotions | | | | pressure; reducing incidence of anxiety, depression, and |
| and trouble with peers. Many gifted kids have varied | | | | overall mood disturbance; dramatic boosting of |
| interests, skipping from one to the other - a trait often | | | | resistance to viral infection thru increasing certain T-Cell |
| misinterpreted as A.D.H.D. | | | | counts; improving respiration; balance; strength; |
| In the network news program mentioned at the | | | | providing cardiovascular benefit; burning calories; and |
| beginning of this article, one of the children’s | | | | teaching the body how to move in ways that promote |
| mothers explained that her child had been obsessed | | | | bone and muscle development while reducing strain on |
| with the state of the global environment, and agitated | | | | the body. In fact, Tai Chi has been found to be gentle |
| by that. This was deemed to be abnormal by | | | | enough to be safely practiced even by people with |
| the school, and was part of the reason for the | | | | arthritis. |
| decision to place her on Ritalin. | | | | In a school’s busy curriculum, to bring together all |
| It is entirely possible that a child who is a genius was | | | | the various therapies and exercises to students to |
| aware of the long known dangers of global warming, | | | | provide all these physical and emotional benefits, may |
| and the unrelenting trends of continuing rises in CO2 | | | | take up half their day. However, an hour of practicing |
| emissions worldwide. After having seen the recent | | | | Tai Chi in a physical education class every day at |
| documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, we would | | | | school could not only provide the above benefits to |
| have to admit that such a child was ahead of her | | | | students that could last a lifetime, but also may provide |
| time, by becoming concerned and appropriately | | | | many more than can be listed in an article. The |
| agitated by this issue, before the general public | | | | international health education effort, known as World |
| became concerned. It is very possible that these | | | | Tai Chi & Qigong Day, provides a comprehensive |
| "agitated" children could become the "rabble rousering" | | | | searchable by malady listing of medical research |
| adults who found and organize human rights, | | | | on Tai Chi and Qigong (Pronounced, chee gong, sets |
| environmental, and other visionary movements that | | | | of Traditional Chinese Medical exercise therapies, of |
| improve the lives of all of us. | | | | which Tai Chi is one of several thousand), at its |
| This is what geniuses do. They see danger and | | | | website, There is a growing awareness with emerging |
| possibility ahead of the pack. Without their ability | | | | research that there is no other known exercise that |
| humanity may well still be swinging rudimentary clubs, | | | | provides the multi-dimensional benefits of Tai Chi all in |
| and living in caves. Advances weren’t | | | | one simple and absolutely safe exercise. |
| instantaneously seen by all members of a tribe or | | | | With a twelve year education, there is no reason why |
| society, but certain members of the group had insights | | | | students do not graduate from high school as Tai Chi |
| that quickly became adopted by the others. Without | | | | masters. If they did, what could that mean to society? |
| those who possess the ability to be dissatisfied with | | | | Heart disease, a leading cause of death in America, |
| the status quo, and driven to distraction from the | | | | with massive financial costs could be dramatically |
| normal everyday tasks, to vision in a greater | | | | reduced according to emerging research if our children |
| awareness . . . human advance does not occur. | | | | were massively trained in the preventive therapy |
| Today, our planet is sagging from the weight of 6 billion | | | | known as Tai Chi. The rapidly growing demand for |
| human inhabitants, and in our lifetimes this may reach 9 | | | | anti-depressants could be profoundly reduced by |
| billion. The demands for food, energy, water, and other | | | | adults who’d spent 12 years of public education |
| resources will take on a screaming shrillness that may | | | | becoming Tai Chi masters, thru one hour per day of |
| drive our world mad . . . UNLESS we find new | | | | training in Phys Ed class. Today the 6th leading cause |
| creative ways of living in a finite world (in terms of | | | | of death in senior citizens is due to complications often |
| physical resources) by tapping into the limitless mines | | | | from simple falling injuries due to diminished balance. |
| and oceans of human consciousness and creativity. | | | | Costing Americans over $10 billion annually. An Emory |
| So, it becomes obvious that we are not only in dire | | | | University study finding that Tai Chi could cut the risk |
| need of the new generation of geniuses entering our | | | | of those falls in half, portends massive monetary |
| public schools. But, in fact, we all need to become | | | | savings by all Americans in future years, IF students |
| more creative in the future. When examined, the | | | | are educated now in Tai Chi. |
| possibility of creating educational opportunities where | | | | The potential savings in an economy that spends over |
| gifted children, or geniuses, can flourish and offer | | | | $1 trillion annually on healthcare, and will only increase |
| positive influence to other students with their unusual | | | | as population increases, is staggering to contemplate. |
| and unique concepts of reality seem simple. Creating | | | | These savings dwarf the relatively minimal amounts it |
| smaller class sizes, give students opportunity to | | | | would require to fund our education systems to |
| expend energy expressing and interacting with | | | | reduce class sizes, provide physical education daily to |
| teachers and other students. The College of Education | | | | all students, and teach all students Tai Chi for 12 years. |
| at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, | | | | The minimal costs of Tai Chi are noted in a recent |
| suggests that smaller class sizes, while beneficial for all | | | | report in the June 5, 2006 International Herald Tribune, |
| students, are particularly beneficial for students with | | | | [Tai Chi] is an art that needs no special place, fancy |
| ADD/ADHD. | | | | equipment or expensive outlay, and its regular practice |
| Physical education is also an outlet of energy that can | | | | can build up grace, beauty and strength in a |
| help all students, as well as those with ADHD. Yet, | | | | remarkable way, whatever age one may be. |
| according to the National Children and Youth Fitness | | | | This ancient elegant, simple, and inexpensive solution to |
| Study (NCYFS) II, overall only 36% of children/youth | | | | a myriad of challenges facing our education system |
| participate in physical education class on a daily basis, | | | | and society at large, perhaps could be a model for |
| and less than 30% of class time is spent in actual | | | | other challenges facing society, locally, nationally, and |
| physical activity. | | | | internationally. As the earlier referenced researcher |
| So, the first requirement to end a dysfunctional | | | | mentioned, we handle complex challenges better when |
| educational process that may be causing untold | | | | less stressed. If the ancient mind/body technologies |
| numbers of our new geniuses to be often | | | | developed over hundreds of years by Traditional |
| unnecessarily normalized with institutionalized, | | | | Chinese Medical researchers, that have now spread to |
| and often mis-diagnosed drug addiction, is for our | | | | virtually every nation on the globe, were implimented in |
| nation to dedicate itself to funding education in a way | | | | the way emerging medical research indicates they |
| to reduce class sizes and to increase physical | | | | should be by government, business and healthcare |
| education and activity in all our students. | | | | worldwide . . . we could literally see a new world within |
| But, there may be another even greater opportunity | | | | a generation. A calmer, clearer, and healthier world. |
| that can be found in implementing the aforementioned | | | | Tai Chi Chih (a unique health regimine evolved from Tai |
| education format solutions. A recent study from the | | | | Chi) has been used in major prison systems like |
| University of Miami School of Medicine, on teenagers | | | | Folsom Maximum Security Prison in California. Initial |
| with ADHD, found that an ancient Traditional Chinese | | | | reports (from imate organizers of the program) |
| Medical exercise therapy can profoundly improve the | | | | indicate that incident rates have gone down in |
| lives of teenagers with ADHD. | | | | Folsom since the program was implimented. Research |
| Researchers reported the positive effects of Tai Chi | | | | also shows that such ancient Chinese health therapies |
| on the adolescents with ADHD parallel the positive | | | | can help in drug rehabilitation programs. When the cost |
| effects for adults including reduced mental and | | | | of law enforcement, court costs, rehabilitation, and |
| emotional stress (Jin, 1992) and improved mood (Jin, | | | | prison costs are added up, any opportunity to train |
| 1989). Although stress hormone levels were not | | | | young people in public education with life tools that |
| assayed in this study, the adolescents were perceived | | | | may help them avoid even the need for such costly |
| by their teachers as being less anxious, emotional and | | | | institutions, must be fully explored. |
| hyperactive following Tai Chi. The adult literature has | | | | The future is ripe and inviting, if we can breathe, relax, |
| reported reduced stress hormones (cortisol) with Tai | | | | and open to our creative potential enabling us to |
| Chi (Jin, 1992). | | | | embrace the hope dangling in front of us like a ripe |
| Tai Chi research on adults has identified changes in | | | | apple. And by cultivating and celebrating the emerging |
| cardiovascular, respiratory, electroencephalographic, | | | | generation of potential geniuses in our schools, rather |
| and biochemical levels (e.g., lower cortisol stress | | | | than drugging them into normalcy, may open the |
| hormone levels) (Brown, Mucci, Hetzler, & | | | | gates of hope far beyond what we can even envision |
| Knowlton, 1989; Jin, 1989). Reduced sympathetic | | | | at this time. |
| activity, or enhanced parasympathetic activity, has | | | | "The world we see is the one created with our |
| been considered a potential underlying mechanism | | | | thoughts. |
| (Hsu, Wang & Kappagoda, 1985). This mechanism | | | | |